Systems and methods for mobile mileage tracking

ABSTRACT

A method for automatic mileage tracking using a mobile device may include establishing a wireless connection between the mobile device and a vehicle, and executing mileage tracking to determine a total mileage for a current trip. The method may also include defining a trip type for the current trip based on (i) a time period in which the current trip occurs and (ii) a user-specific set of trip categorization rules that specifies one or more time periods designated for one or more respective trip types. The method may further include displaying the total mileage for the current trip to the user along with an indication of the trip type defined for the current trip, and/or submitting via a network, for storage in a database, the total mileage and the indication of the trip type.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/978,423, entitled“Systems And Methods for Mobile Mileage Tracking” and filed Dec. 22,2015, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/854,462,entitled “Systems And Methods for Mobile Mileage Tracking” and filedSep. 15, 2015. The disclosures of both of the above-identifiedapplications are hereby incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This The present application relates generally to mileage tracking and,more specifically, to systems and methods for automatically trackingdriving mileages using mobile devices.

BACKGROUND

Individuals may wish to track and report the number of miles that theydrive on a regular basis for tax or reimbursement purposes. Traditionalmethods of mileage tracking involve either writing down the number ofmiles driven in a log book or inputting the miles into a softwareprogram such as a spreadsheet application. Either way, the tracking andrecording of mileage information is, by and large, a manual effort. As aresult, traditional methods of mileage tracking can be tedious andinconvenient to use, which in turn cause users to procrastinate orforget to record their miles in a timely manner. Consequently, manyusers are forced to later recall or estimate their miles leading toincorrect or inaccurate reporting.

To better facilitate the process of tracking and recording mileages,various mobile solutions have been proposed. For example, mobileapplications have been developed that allow users to start and stopmileage tracking by pressing a few buttons. Other examples includeallowing users to operate mobile versions of existing mileage trackingsoftware programs. However, most, if not all, of these mobile solutionsare still manually operated and are thus still tedious to use or proneto human errors. Hardware solutions, on the other hand, may offer higheraccuracy by making sure that every mile is properly recorded. However,the deployment of any hardware solution entails extra costs in terms ofequipment, physical installation, management and other administrativeexpenses.

SUMMARY

The features and advantages described in this summary and the followingdetailed description are not all-inclusive. Many additional features andadvantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in viewof the drawings, specification, and claims hereof. Additionally, otherembodiments may omit one or more (or all) of the features and advantagesdescribed in this summary.

In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method for automatic mileagetracking using a mobile device includes establishing, by one or moreprocessors of the mobile device, a wireless connection between themobile device and a vehicle; after establishing the wireless connectionbetween the mobile device and the vehicle, executing, by one or moreprocessors of the mobile device, mileage tracking to determine a totalmileage for a current trip; defining, by one or more processors of themobile device, a trip type for the current trip based on (i) a timeperiod in which the current trip occurs and (ii) a user-specific set oftrip categorization rules that specifies one or more time periodsdesignated for one or more respective trip types; and one or both of (i)displaying to a user, by one or more processors of the mobile device,the total mileage for the current trip and an indication of the triptype defined for the current trip, and (ii) submitting via a network, byone or more processors of the mobile device and for storage in adatabase, the total mileage for the current trip and the indication ofthe trip type defined for the current trip.

In another embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumincludes computer-readable instructions to be executed on one or moreprocessors of a mobile device for automatic mileage tracking. Whenexecuted, the instructions cause the one or more processors to:establish a wireless connection between the mobile device and a vehicle;after establishing the wireless connection between the mobile device andthe vehicle, execute mileage tracking to determine a total mileage for acurrent trip; define a trip type for the current trip based on (i) atime period in which the current trip occurs and (ii) a user-specificset of trip categorization rules that specifies one or more time periodsdesignated for one or more respective trip types; and one or both of (i)display to a user the total mileage for the current trip and anindication of the trip type defined for the current trip, and (ii)submit via a network, for storage in a database, the total mileage forthe current trip and the indication of the trip type defined for thecurrent trip.

In another embodiment, a mobile device includes one or more processorsand a memory. The memory stores instructions that, when executed by theone or more processors, cause the mobile device to: establish a wirelessconnection between the mobile device and a vehicle; after establishingthe wireless connection between the mobile device and the vehicle,execute mileage tracking to determine a total mileage for a currenttrip; define a trip type for the current trip based on (i) a time periodin which the current trip occurs and (ii) a user-specific set of tripcategorization rules that specifies one or more time periods designatedfor one or more respective trip types; and one or both of (i) display toa user the total mileage for the current trip and an indication of thetrip type defined for the current trip, and (ii) submit via a network,for storage in a database, the total mileage for the current trip andthe indication of the trip type defined for the current trip.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example system for automaticallytracking driving mileages using mobile devices.

FIG. 2A is a screenshot of an example mobile device displaying trackeddriving mileages for various trips.

FIG. 2B is a screenshot of an example mobile device displaying a map ofa route taken by a particular trip.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an example method for automatically trackingdriving mileages using mobile devices.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a computing environment that implements asystem and method for automatically tracking driving mileages usingmobile devices.

The figures depict a preferred embodiment of the present invention forpurposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readilyrecognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments ofthe structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed withoutdeparting from the principles of the invention described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally speaking, the disclosed system allows users to connect theirmobile devices to their vehicles in order to automatically track andrecord their driving mileages.

Referring first to FIG. 1, which is a block diagram of an example system100 for automatically tracking driving mileages using mobile devices.The example system 100 includes a mobile device 102 having one or moreprocessors 104, a memory 106, a user interface 108 (e.g., a displayscreen, a touchscreen, a keyboard, etc.), a communication unit 110, anda location aware unit 112. The mobile device 102 may be a smartphone, atablet computer, a personal digital assistant, a wearable computer, orany other mobile computing device.

To enable automatic tracking of driving mileages, the mobile device 102may be communicatively connected to a vehicle 114 (e.g., a car). Inparticular, the mobile device 102 may use the communication unit 110 toconnect to the vehicle 114 over a wireless link 116. Accordingly, thevehicle 114 may be equipped with a matching on-board communication unit118. The on-board communication unit 118 may be part of a vehiclecomputer system (not shown) available in the vehicle 114.

In general, the connection between the mobile device 102 and the vehicle114 involves short range wireless communication. In the embodiment ofFIG. 1, short range wireless communication is implemented usingBluetooth, although other technologies (e.g, near field communication(NFC), radio frequency identification (RFID), etc.) can also be used.

When using Bluetooth, the on-board communication unit 118 in the vehicle114 may transmit a unique identification number (e.g., a media accesscontrol (MAC) address associated with the vehicle computer system (notshown) in the vehicle 114) over the wireless link 116. If the mobiledevice 102 is within range of the transmission, the communication unit110 may receive the unique identification number and compare that numberto a list of stored identification numbers. If a match is found, thenthe mobile device 102 may identify and connect to the vehicle 114. Ifdesired, new identification numbers can be added to the list of storedidentification numbers. This allows the mobile device 102 to identifyand connect to new vehicles. Additionally, a user can manually connectthe mobile device 102 to a particular vehicle by selecting anidentification number associated with the particular vehicle from thelist of stored identification numbers.

Once connected, the mobile device 102 may automatically begin trackingof driving mileages. To do so, the mobile device 102 may use thelocation aware unit 112 to locate the position of the mobile device 102and hence the position of the vehicle 114. Changes in the position ofthe mobile device 102 may be tracked to determine the total amount ofmiles driven by the vehicle 114. In general, the location aware unit 112may use any suitable location awareness system such as globalpositioning system (GPS), cellular tower triangulation, Wi-Fitriangulation, etc.

In some embodiments, the mobile device 102 may perform automatictracking of driving mileages by using a location awareness system in thevehicle 114. For example, the vehicle 114 may be equipped with anon-board GPS unit which can track the position of the vehicle 114 andthen relay the tracking information back to the mobile device 102 viathe wireless link 116.

In operation, a user may bring the mobile device 102 to the vehicle 114when the user decides to take a trip. That is, when the user decides todrive the vehicle 114 from one location to another. Generally, a tripstarts when the user turns on the vehicle 114, and finishes when theuser shuts off the vehicle 114. Accordingly, once the user turns on thevehicle 114, the communication unit 110 of the mobile device 102 maycommunicate over the wireless link 116 with the on-board communicationunit 118 to identify and connect to the vehicle 114 by using, forexample, Bluetooth.

When the mobile device 102 is successfully connected to the vehicle 114,the mobile device 102 may automatically commence mileage tracking forthe trip. Specifically, the location aware unit 112 in the mobile device102 may transmit “ping” signals periodically (e.g., every few seconds)to locate the position of the mobile device 102 and hence the positionof the vehicle 114 that is connected to the mobile device 102. Eachpinged signal is logged and stored in the memory 106 as trip data 120.At the end of the trip, the user shuts off the vehicle 114 and theconnection between the mobile device 102 and the vehicle 114 isterminated. Afterward, the mobile device 102 may analyze the trip data120 in the memory 106 by summing up the distance (or miles driven)between each pinged signal to calculate a total distance (or totalnumber of miles driven) for the trip. In this manner, the mobile device102 automatically tracks and records driving mileages incurred for thetrip.

In some embodiments, the mobile device 102 may analyze the pingedsignals during the trip. In other words, instead of calculating thetotal number of miles driven at the end of the trip, the mobile device102 may tally up the number of miles as the trip progresses. This mayavoid the accumulation of unnecessary pinged signals during vehicleidling times. For example, if the user is stuck in heavy traffic, thenthe vehicle 114 may travel negligible distances between some successivepinged signals. As such, some of these pinged signals may not be storedas part of the trip data 120 if the mobile device 102 determines thatthe distance traveled between some of these pinged signals is zero.

Generally speaking, mileage tracking is performed so that the user canproperly report mileage information associated with his or her work fortax or reimbursement purposes. As such, most trips for which mileage istracked may be classified as business trips. However, the user may alsoundertake certain personal trips. To distinguish between the user'sbusiness miles and personal miles, the trip data 120 may be specified interms of business trip data 120A, personal trip data 120B, and personalincidental trip data 120C. The personal trip data 120B may specifypurely personal trips, while the personal incidental trip data 120C mayspecify personal trips that are caused by work (e.g., commute to andfrom work).

The mobile device 102 may automatically categorize a given trip andstore any tracked driving mileages accordingly. To accomplish this, theuser may configure a set of trip categorization rules. For example, theuser may define a set of working hours (e.g., between 9 AM and 5 PM) fora work day. Thus, if the user takes a trip during the set of workinghours, then the trip may be categorized as a business trip. Accordingly,when the mobile device 102 connects to the vehicle 114 during the set ofworking hours, any mileages tracked during that time may be stored aspart of the business trip data 120A. On the other hand, if the usertakes a trip outside the set of working hours, then the trip may becategorized as a personal trip. As such, mileages tracked during timesoutside the set of working hours may be stored as part of the personaltrip data 120B.

Further, the user may define a time period just before and after the setof working hours (e.g., one hour before the start of the work day andone hour after the end of the work day). Any mileages tracked for tripstaken during this time period may be assumed to be commute times andthus stored as part of the personal incidental trip data 120C. In someembodiments, tracked mileages for the first and last trip of the day maybe stored as part of the personal incidental trip data 120C. Of course,the set of trip categorization rules may be adjusted according to anydesired user preferences or requirements (e.g., multiple sets of workinghours in a day, specific time periods for personal trips, weekends andholidays, etc.).

During a trip, the user also has the option of splitting the trip. Moreparticularly, the user may end mileage tracking on a current trip andthen change the type of trip to begin mileage tracking on a new trip.For example, the user may be undertaking a business trip currently butwishes to take a detour trip for personal reasons. As such, the user mayissue a command (e.g., a button press, a voice command, etc.) via theuser interface 108, to indicate that the current business trip is to besplit into a new personal trip. Upon receiving the command, the mobiledevice 102 may terminate mileage tracking on the current business tripby saving all the tracked mileages so far as part of the business tripdata 120A. The mobile device 102 may then commence mileage tracking onthe new personal trip by saving all ensuing tracked mileages as part ofthe personal trip data 120B.

Alternatively or additionally, for each trip, the user may specify thetype of trip before mileage tracking begins for each trip. For example,the user may define a trip to be a business trip before the mobiledevice 102 is connected to the vehicle 114. Accordingly, anysubsequently tracked mileages may be stored as part of the business tripdata 120A.

In some embodiments, the mobile device 102 may simply track mileages foreach trip and then allow the user to specify the type of trip at a latertime. For example, the user may manually categorize each stored trip atthe end of each day. This requires some manual effort on the part of theuser to remember the purpose of each trip. However, as more and moretrips are manually categorized over time, the mobile device 102 may beable to learn how specific types of trips are personally categorized bythe user (e.g., by using pattern recognition or adaptive learningalgorithms). Thus, based on this learning process, the mobile device 102may adapt to automatically categorize a given trip and store any trackeddriving mileages accordingly.

The user may view any or all of the trip data 120A-120C stored in thememory 106 of the mobile device 102. FIG. 2A is a screenshot of anexample mobile device 200 displaying tracked driving mileages forvarious trips. The example mobile device 200 may be similar to themobile device 102 of FIG. 1. As such, the example mobile device 200includes a user interface 202 (similar to the user interface 108) thatdisplays stored trips. As illustrated in FIG. 2A, the stored trips maybe displayed in chronological order. Each trip may be labeled as eitherbusiness (B), personal (P) or personal incidental (PI). Further, eachtrip label may be color-coded according to the type of trip (e.g., bluefor business, red for personal, yellow for personal incidental). Foreach trip, the total mileage incurred along with the date of the tripand the time duration of the trip are also displayed in the userinterface 202.

The user can manually edit any of the displayed trips in the userinterface 202. For example, the user may select a business trip andchange the type of trip to a personal trip. This option may allow theuser to correct for mistakes or errors. Further, the user may select atrip and view a map of the trip. This is illustrated in FIG. 2B, whichshows a screenshot of the example mobile device 200 displaying a map ofa route taken by a particular trip from start to finish. This mapviewing functionality helps the user to better recognize or remember theparticular trip by allowing the user to review the exact route taken bythe trip.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, after viewing or reviewing the tripdata 120A-120C stored in the memory 106, the user may submit the tripdata 120A-120C for reporting purposes. For example, the user may submitthe business trip data 120A for tax or reimbursement purposes.Accordingly, the mobile device 102 may transmit any or all of the tripdata 120A-120C to a remote or external database 122 via a network 124(e.g., a local area network, a wide area network, a mobile network, awired or wireless network, a private network, etc.). Once received, theexternal database 122 may store and archive the data for furtherprocessing.

Submitting trip data entails submitting only the tracked mileagesassociated with a trip to the external database 122. As such, onlymileage numbers are sent and not location information. This helps tomaintain the privacy of the user's trip data.

The user may submit any or all of the trip data 120A-120C in the memory106 on a regular basis (e.g., daily, weekly, etc.). To encouragesubmission and avoid procrastination, the user may set up an alarm toremind him or her to submit the trip data 120A-120C. For example, theuser may define a reminder alarm to go off at the end of each day (e.g.,at 7 PM). Thus, if the user has not submitted any data by the end of theday, then the reminder alarm will be activated to remind the user.However, if data was already submitted by the user before the end of theday, then the reminder alarm may not be activated. In some embodiments,if the user does not take any action to submit the trip data 120A-120Ceven after the activation of the reminder alarm, then the mobile device102 may automatically submit the trip data 120A-120C. In otherembodiments, the mobile device 102 may automatically submit the tripdata 120A-120C at the end of each day.

Once data for a trip is submitted, the mobile device 102 may delete thetrip from the memory 106. In some embodiments, the mobile device 102 mayretain the trip in the memory 106 even after submission. However, theuser can no longer edit any submitted trip. The user can also manuallydelete the trip from the memory 106. In some embodiments, the mobiledevice 102 deletes all submitted trips from the memory 106 at the end ofeach day. In some embodiments, the user may use the mobile device 102 toaccess the external database 122 so that the user can edit any submittedtrip data for errors or update any incorrect information.

Referring now to FIG. 3, which describes a flow diagram of an examplemethod 300 for automatically tracking driving mileages using mobiledevices. The method 300 may include one or more blocks, routines orfunctions in the form of computer executable instructions that arestored in a tangible computer-readable medium (e.g., 106 of FIG. 1) andexecuted using a processor (e.g., 104 of FIG. 1).

The method 300 may be implemented on a mobile device such as the mobiledevice 102 of FIG. 1. Generally, a user may bring the mobile device to avehicle (e.g., the vehicle 114 of FIG. 1) when the user decides to takea trip by driving the vehicle from one location to another. The tripstarts when the user turns on the vehicle and finishes when the usershuts off the vehicle.

The method 300 begins by setting up trip categorization rules (block302). In an embodiment, the method 300 may receive a set of tripcategorization rules configured by the user. The set of tripcategorization rules may specify how the method 300 can automaticallycategorize a given trip and store tracked mileages accordingly. Forexample, the set of trip categorization rules may define a set ofworking hours in a work day. Thus, if the user takes a trip during theset of working hours, then the trip may be categorized as a businesstrip. Accordingly, mileages tracked for the business trip may correspondto business miles. On the other hand, if the user takes a trip outsidethe set of working hours, then the trip may be categorized as a personaltrip. Accordingly, mileages tracked for the personal trip may correspondto personal miles.

Next, based on the trip categorization rules, the method 300 may definea trip type for a current trip in order to begin automatic mileagetracking (block 304). For example, the user may decide to take thecurrent trip during the set of working hours, and as such, the currenttrip may be categorized as a business trip.

The method 300 may then establish a connection between the mobile deviceand the vehicle (block 306). In particular, after the user turns on thevehicle, the method 300 may connect the mobile device to the vehicle.The connection between the mobile device and the vehicle may beestablished using short range wireless communication such as Bluetooth,for example. Using Bluetooth, the vehicle may transmit a uniqueidentification number associated with the vehicle to the mobile device.Upon receiving the unique identification number, the mobile device maycompare the unique identification number to a list of identificationnumbers stored in the mobile device. If a match is found, then themobile device may identify and connect to the vehicle. Additionally oralternatively, the user may manually connect the mobile device to thevehicle by selecting an identification number associated with thevehicle from the list of identification numbers.

Once connected, the method 300 may proceed to execute mileage tracking(block 308). To do so, the mobile device may transmit signalsperiodically to locate the position of the mobile device and hence theposition of the vehicle connected to the mobile device. The mobiledevice may perform this location detection by using GPS, for example.The method 300 may track changes in the position of the mobile device inorder to determine the total amount of miles driven by the vehicle.Specifically, each transmitted signal is logged and stored in a memoryof the mobile device (e.g., the memory 106 of FIG. 1). The mobile devicemay sum up the distance between each signal to calculate a totaldistance or total number of miles driven for the current trip.

During the current trip, the method 300 may receive inputs from the userto split the current trip (block 310). Splitting the current tripentails that the method 300 ends mileage tracking on the current tripand assigns a different trip type to a new trip in order to beginmileage tracking on the new trip. For example, the user may wish to takea detour trip for personal reasons. As such, the method 300 may receivean input from the user indicating that the current business trip is tobe split into a new personal trip.

If the method 300 determines that the user wishes to split the currenttrip, the method 300 proceeds to save all currently tracked mileages(block 312). The method 300 may store the currently tracked mileages asbusiness miles.

The method 300 then proceeds to change the trip type to begin mileagetracking on the new personal trip (block 314). Accordingly, the method300 returns to the block 308 to execute mileage tracking for the newpersonal trip. The method 300 may store mileages tracked for the newpersonal trip as personal miles.

If the method 300 determines that the user does not wish to split thecurrent trip, the method 300 may determine if the current trip has ended(block 316). The current trip may end when the user shuts off thevehicle. Once the user shuts off the vehicle, the connection between themobile device and the vehicle is terminated. If the current trip has notended, then the method 300 may return to the block 308.

On the other hand, if the current trip has ended, the method 300proceeds to save all tracked mileages for the current trip (block 318).

Afterward, the method 300 may display saved mileage information for thecurrent trip (block 320). In particular, the method 300 may display thetotal mileage incurred for the current trip, along with information suchas the date of the current trip and the duration of the current trip.Further, the method 300 may display a map showing the route taken by thecurrent trip from start to finish. The method 300 may display themileage information via a user interface (e.g., the user interface 108of FIG. 1) of the mobile device, for example.

Finally, the method 300 may submit the tracked mileages for the currenttrip (block 322). In an embodiment, the method 300 may receive an inputfrom the user indicating that the tracked mileages for the current tripare to be submitted. As such, the method 300 may transmit the trackedmileages for the current trip to an external database. The method 300may also activate a reminder alarm to remind the user to submit thetracked mileages. In some embodiments, the method 300 may automaticallysubmit the tracked mileages for the current trip.

Using the system 100 and the method 300, driving mileages may beautomatically tracked using mobile devices. Potential applications forsuch systems and methods are not limited to the field of tax or expensereporting. Applications in other fields or industries may includetracking mileages for vehicle insurance purposes, tracking mileages forvehicle or fleet maintenance purposes, tracking mileages for personalreasons such as during vacations, etc.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example computing environment for asystem 400 having a computing device 401 that may be used to implementthe systems and methods described herein. The computing device 401 mayinclude a mobile computing device (e.g., smart phone, cellular phone, atablet computer, a Wi-Fi-enabled device, etc.), or other known type ofmobile computing device. As will be recognized by one skilled in theart, in light of the disclosure and teachings herein, other types ofmobile computing devices can be used that have different architectures.Processor systems similar or identical to the example system 400 may beused to implement and execute the example system of FIG. 1, the methodof FIG. 3, and the like. Although the system 400 is described below asincluding a plurality of peripherals, interfaces, chips, memories, etc.,one or more of those elements may be omitted from other exampleprocessor systems used to implement and execute the example system 100.Also, other components may be added.

As shown in FIG. 4, the computing device 401 includes a processor 402that is coupled to an interconnection bus 404. The processor 402includes a register set or register space 406, which is depicted in FIG.4 as being entirely on-chip, but which could alternatively be locatedentirely or partially off-chip and directly coupled to the processor 402via dedicated electrical connections and/or via the interconnection bus404. The processor 402 may be any suitable processor, processing unit ormicroprocessor. Although not shown in FIG. 4, the computing device 401may be a multi-processor device and, thus, may include one or moreadditional processors that are identical or similar to the processor 402and that are communicatively coupled to the interconnection bus 404.

The processor 402 of FIG. 4 is coupled to a chipset 408, which includesa memory controller 410 and a peripheral input/output (I/O) controller412. As is well known, a chipset typically provides I/O and memorymanagement functions as well as a plurality of general purpose and/orspecial purpose registers, timers, etc. that are accessible or used byone or more processors coupled to the chipset 408. The memory controller410 performs functions that enable the processor 402 (or processors ifthere are multiple processors) to access a system memory 414 and a massstorage memory 416, that may include either or both of an in-memorycache (e.g., a cache within the memory 414) or an on-disk cache (e.g., acache within the mass storage memory 416).

The system memory 414 may include any desired type of volatile and/ornon-volatile memory such as, for example, static random access memory(SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), flash memory, read-onlymemory (ROM), etc. The mass storage memory 416 may include any desiredtype of mass storage device. For example, if the computing device 401 isused to implement an application 418 having an API 419 (includingfunctions and instructions as described by the method 300 of FIG. 3).The mass storage memory 416 may include a hard disk drive, an opticaldrive, a tape storage device, a solid-state memory (e.g., a flashmemory, a RAM memory, etc.), a magnetic memory (e.g., a hard drive), orany other memory suitable for mass storage. As used herein, the termsmodule, block, function, operation, procedure, routine, step, and methodrefer to tangible computer program logic or tangible computer executableinstructions that provide the specified functionality to the computingdevice 401 and the system 400. Thus, a module, block, function,operation, procedure, routine, step, and method can be implemented inhardware, firmware, and/or software. In one embodiment, program modulesand routines (e.g., the application 418, the API 419, etc.) are storedin mass storage memory 416, loaded into system memory 414, and executedby a processor 402 or can be provided from computer program productsthat are stored in tangible computer-readable storage mediums (e.g.,RAM, hard disk, optical/magnetic media, etc.).

The peripheral I/O controller 410 performs functions that enable theprocessor 402 to communicate with peripheral input/output (I/O) devices422 and 424, a network interface 426, a local network transceiver 427, acellular network transceiver 428, and a GPS transceiver 429 via thenetwork interface 426. The I/O devices 422 and 424 may be any desiredtype of I/O device such as, for example, a keyboard, a display (e.g., aliquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, etc.), anavigation device (e.g., a mouse, a trackball, a capacitive touch pad, ajoystick, etc.), etc. The cellular telephone transceiver 428 may beresident with the local network transceiver 427. The local networktransceiver 427 may include support for a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth,infrared or other wireless data transmission protocols. In otherembodiments, one element may simultaneously support each of the variouswireless protocols employed by the computing device 401. For example, asoftware-defined radio may be able to support multiple protocols viadownloadable instructions. In operation, the computing device 401 may beable to periodically poll for visible wireless network transmitters(both cellular and local network) on a periodic basis. Such polling maybe possible even while normal wireless traffic is being supported on thecomputing device 401. The network interface 426 may be, for example, anEthernet device, an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) device, an 802.11wireless interface device, a DSL modem, a cable modem, a cellular modem,etc., that enables the system 100 to communicate with another computersystem having at least the elements described in relation to the system100.

While the memory controller 412 and the I/O controller 410 are depictedin FIG. 4 as separate functional blocks within the chipset 408, thefunctions performed by these blocks may be integrated within a singleintegrated circuit or may be implemented using two or more separateintegrated circuits. The system 400 may also implement the application418 on remote computing devices 430 and 432. The remote computingdevices 430 and 432 may communicate with the computing device 401 overan Ethernet link 434. In some embodiments, the application 418 may beretrieved by the computing device 401 from a cloud computing server 436via the Internet 438. When using the cloud computing server 436, theretrieved application 418 may be programmatically linked with thecomputing device 401. The application 418 may be a Java® appletexecuting within a Java® Virtual Machine (JVM) environment resident inthe computing device 401 or the remote computing devices 430, 432. Theapplication 418 may also be “plug-ins” adapted to execute in aweb-browser located on the computing devices 401, 430, and 432. Further,the application 418 may be adapted to execute in a web-browser usingJavaScript. In some embodiments, the application 418 may communicatewith a backend component 440 such as the external database 122 via theInternet 438.

The system 400 may include but is not limited to any combination of aLAN, a MAN, a WAN, a mobile, a wired or wireless network, a privatenetwork, or a virtual private network. Moreover, while only two remotecomputing devices 430 and 432 are illustrated in FIG. 4 to simplify andclarify the description, it is understood that any number of clientcomputers are supported and can be in communication within the system400.

Additionally, certain embodiments are described herein as includinglogic or a number of components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules mayconstitute either software modules (e.g., code or instructions embodiedon a machine-readable medium or in a transmission signal, wherein thecode is executed by a processor) or hardware modules. A hardware moduleis tangible unit capable of performing certain operations and may beconfigured or arranged in a certain manner. In example embodiments, oneor more computer systems (e.g., a standalone, client or server computersystem) or one or more hardware modules of a computer system (e.g., aprocessor or a group of processors) may be configured by software (e.g.,an application or application portion) as a hardware module thatoperates to perform certain operations as described herein.

In various embodiments, a hardware module may be implementedmechanically or electronically. For example, a hardware module maycomprise dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured(e.g., as a special-purpose processor, such as a field programmable gatearray (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) toperform certain operations. A hardware module may also compriseprogrammable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within ageneral-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that istemporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. Itwill be appreciated that the decision to implement a hardware modulemechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or intemporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the term “hardware module” should be understood toencompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physicallyconstructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarilyconfigured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or toperform certain operations described herein. As used herein,“hardware-implemented module” refers to a hardware module. Consideringembodiments in which hardware modules are temporarily configured (e.g.,programmed), each of the hardware modules need not be configured orinstantiated at any one instance in time. For example, where thehardware modules comprise a general-purpose processor configured usingsoftware, the general-purpose processor may be configured as respectivedifferent hardware modules at different times. Software may accordinglyconfigure a processor, for example, to constitute a particular hardwaremodule at one instance of time and to constitute a different hardwaremodule at a different instance of time.

Hardware modules can provide information to, and receive informationfrom, other hardware modules. Accordingly, the described hardwaremodules may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multipleof such hardware modules exist contemporaneously, communications may beachieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuitsand buses) that connect the hardware modules. In embodiments in whichmultiple hardware modules are configured or instantiated at differenttimes, communications between such hardware modules may be achieved, forexample, through the storage and retrieval of information in memorystructures to which the multiple hardware modules have access. Forexample, one hardware module may perform an operation and store theoutput of that operation in a memory device to which it iscommunicatively coupled. A further hardware module may then, at a latertime, access the memory device to retrieve and process the storedoutput. Hardware modules may also initiate communications with input oroutput devices, and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection ofinformation).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modulesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions. The modulesreferred to herein may, in some example embodiments, compriseprocessor-implemented modules.

Similarly, the methods or routines described herein may be at leastpartially processor-implemented. For example, at least some of theoperations of a method may be performed by one or more processors orprocessor-implemented hardware modules. The performance of certain ofthe operations may be distributed among the one or more processors, notonly residing within a single machine, but deployed across a number ofmachines. In some example embodiments, the processor or processors maybe located in a single location (e.g., within a home environment, anoffice environment or as a server farm), while in other embodiments theprocessors may be distributed across a number of locations.

The one or more processors may also operate to support performance ofthe relevant operations in a “cloud computing” environment or as a“software as a service” (SaaS). For example, at least some of theoperations may be performed by a group of computers (as examples ofmachines including processors), these operations being accessible via anetwork (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more appropriate interfaces(e.g., application program interfaces (APIs)).

The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed amongthe one or more processors, not only residing within a single machine,but deployed across a number of machines. In some example embodiments,the one or more processors or processor-implemented modules may belocated in a single geographic location (e.g., within a homeenvironment, an office environment, or a server farm). In other exampleembodiments, the one or more processors or processor-implemented modulesmay be distributed across a number of geographic locations.

Some portions of this specification are presented in terms of algorithmsor symbolic representations of operations on data stored as bits orbinary digital signals within a machine memory (e.g., a computermemory). These algorithms or symbolic representations are examples oftechniques used by those of ordinary skill in the data processing artsto convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. Asused herein, an “algorithm” is a self-consistent sequence of operationsor similar processing leading to a desired result. In this context,algorithms and operations involve physical manipulation of physicalquantities. Typically, but not necessarily, such quantities may take theform of electrical, magnetic, or optical signals capable of beingstored, accessed, transferred, combined, compared, or otherwisemanipulated by a machine. It is convenient at times, principally forreasons of common usage, to refer to such signals using words such as“data,” “content,” “bits,” “values,” “elements,” “symbols,”“characters,” “terms,” “numbers,” “numerals,” or the like. These words,however, are merely convenient labels and are to be associated withappropriate physical quantities.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, discussions herein using wordssuch as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,”“presenting,” “displaying,” or the like may refer to actions orprocesses of a machine (e.g., a computer) that manipulates or transformsdata represented as physical (e.g., electronic, magnetic, or optical)quantities within one or more memories (e.g., volatile memory,non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof), registers, or othermachine components that receive, store, transmit, or displayinformation.

As used herein any reference to “some embodiments” or “an embodiment”means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment is included in at least oneembodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in some embodiments” invarious places in the specification are not necessarily all referring tothe same embodiment.

Some embodiments may be described using the expression “coupled” and“connected” along with their derivatives. For example, some embodimentsmay be described using the term “coupled” to indicate that two or moreelements are in direct physical or electrical contact. The term“coupled,” however, may also mean that two or more elements are not indirect contact with each other, but yet still co-operate or interactwith each other. The embodiments are not limited in this context.

Further, the figures depict preferred embodiments of a system forautomatically tracking driving mileages using mobile devices forpurposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readilyrecognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments ofthe structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed withoutdeparting from the principles described herein.

Upon reading this disclosure, those of skill in the art will appreciatestill additional alternative structural and functional designs for asystem and a process for automatically tracking driving mileages usingmobile devices through the disclosed principles herein. Thus, whileparticular embodiments and applications have been illustrated anddescribed, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are notlimited to the precise construction and components disclosed herein.Various modifications, changes and variations, which will be apparent tothose skilled in the art, may be made in the arrangement, operation anddetails of the method and apparatus disclosed herein without departingfrom the spirit and scope defined in the appended claims.

We claim:
 1. A computer-implemented method for automatic mileage tracking using a mobile device, the method comprising: establishing, by one or more processors of the mobile device, a wireless connection between the mobile device and a vehicle; after establishing the wireless connection between the mobile device and the vehicle, executing, by one or more processors of the mobile device, mileage tracking to determine a total mileage for a current trip; defining, by one or more processors of the mobile device, a trip type for the current trip based on (i) a time period in which the current trip occurs and (ii) a user-specific set of trip categorization rules that specifies one or more time periods designated for one or more respective trip types; and one or both of (i) displaying to a user, by one or more processors of the mobile device, the total mileage for the current trip and an indication of the trip type defined for the current trip, and (ii) submitting via a network, by one or more processors of the mobile device and for storage in a database, the total mileage for the current trip and the indication of the trip type defined for the current trip.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: prior to defining the trip type for the current trip, configuring, by one or more processors of the mobile device and based on input from the user, the set of trip categorization rules.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, comprising: receiving, by one or more processors of the mobile device, an input from the user indicating the total mileage for the current trip is to be submitted; and submitting via the network, by one or more processors of the mobile device and for storage in the database, the total mileage for the current trip and the indication of the trip type defined for the current trip.
 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the trip type defined for the current trip comprises one of a business trip, a personal trip, or a personal incidental trip.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the user-specific set of trip categorization rules specifies a time period designated for the business trip, a time period designated for the personal trip, and a time period designated for the personal incidental trip.
 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein establishing a wireless connection between the mobile device and the vehicle includes establishing a Bluetooth connection between the mobile device and the vehicle.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein executing the mileage tracking comprises transmitting a plurality of signals to a location detection system at periodic intervals to determine positions of the mobile device.
 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein executing the mileage tracking to determine the total mileage includes calculating a sum of distances corresponding the plurality of signals.
 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by one or more processors of the mobile device, an input from the user indicating that the current trip is to be split into a new trip; in response to receiving the input from the user, terminating, by one or more processors of the mobile device, the mileage tracking on the current trip; assigning, by one or more processors of the mobile device, a different trip type for the new trip; and executing, by one or more processors of the mobile device, mileage tracking for the new trip.
 10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: activating, by one or more processors of the mobile device, a reminder alarm to remind the user to submit the total mileage for the current trip.
 11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including computer-readable instructions to be executed on one or more processors of a mobile device for automatic mileage tracking, the instructions when executed causing the one or more processors to: establish a wireless connection between the mobile device and a vehicle; after establishing the wireless connection between the mobile device and the vehicle, execute mileage tracking to determine a total mileage for a current trip; define a trip type for the current trip based on (i) a time period in which the current trip occurs and (ii) a user-specific set of trip categorization rules that specifies one or more time periods designated for one or more respective trip types; and one or both of (i) display to a user the total mileage for the current trip and an indication of the trip type defined for the current trip, and (ii) submit via a network, for storage in a database, the total mileage for the current trip and the indication of the trip type defined for the current trip.
 12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to: prior to defining the trip type for the current trip, configure, based on input from the user, the set of trip categorization rules.
 13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to: receive an input from the user indicating the total mileage for the current trip is to be submitted; and submit via the network, for storage in the database, the total mileage for the current trip and the indication of the trip type defined for the current trip.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the trip type for the current trip includes one of a business trip, a personal trip, or a personal incidental trip.
 15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the set of trip categorization rules defines a time period designated for the business trip, a time period designated for the personal trip, and a time period designated for the personal incidental trip.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to execute the mileage tracking at least by transmitting a plurality of signals to a location detection system at periodic intervals to determine positions of the mobile device.
 17. A mobile device comprising: one or more processors; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the mobile device to: establish a wireless connection between the mobile device and a vehicle; after establishing the wireless connection between the mobile device and the vehicle, execute mileage tracking to determine a total mileage for a current trip; define a trip type for the current trip based on (i) a time period in which the current trip occurs and (ii) a user-specific set of trip categorization rules that specifies one or more time periods designated for one or more respective trip types; and one or both of (i) display to a user the total mileage for the current trip and an indication of the trip type defined for the current trip, and (ii) submit via a network, for storage in a database, the total mileage for the current trip and the indication of the trip type defined for the current trip.
 18. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed, cause the mobile device to: prior to defining the trip type for the current trip, configure, based on input from the user, the set of trip categorization rules.
 19. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed, cause the mobile device to: receive an input from the user indicating the total mileage for the current trip is to be submitted; and submit via the network, for storage in the database, the total mileage for the current trip and the indication of the trip type defined for the current trip.
 20. The mobile device of claim 17, wherein: the trip type for the current trip includes one of a business trip, a personal trip, or a personal incidental trip; and the set of trip categorization rules defines a time period designated for the business trip, a time period designated for the personal trip, and a time period designated for the personal incidental trip. 